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Brek Shea called up to U.S. National Team for Mexico friendly

12August2:46 pm

Brek Shea called up to U.S. National Team for Mexico friendly

CHICAGO — FC Dallas' Brek Shea is among the group of players U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has called in to train for the upcoming friendly against Mexico on Aug. 15 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico. Kickoff for the USA’s first friendly against Mexico on Mexican soil since 1984 is set for 7 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3 and Univision. Fans can follow on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and Twitter @ussoccer.

The players are reporting to Mexico City beginning Sunday, and will train for two days prior to the mid-week fixture.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to bring this group together and challenge Mexico for a win,” said Klinsmann. “For every game, we always look at who is in the best form, who is fit and who is ready to go. We have a lot of veteran players and also some new, hungry guys who deserve a chance. Every player in the pool looks forward to an amazing opportunity like this, the chance to take on Mexico in such an historic stadium like Estadio Azteca. With the World Cup qualifiers coming up next month, we can start preparing these players mentally and physically for Jamaica.”

A little more than a year into his tenure, Klinsmann seeks to lead the U.S. team to its first ever victory against Mexico in their own country. Several U.S. regulars will get their first experience at Azteca, as only three players on the roster have ever played against Mexico on Mexican soil. The match is the first for the U.S. since the 1-1 draw on June 12 in Guatemala, and represents another opportunity to prepare for the critical set of impending World Cup qualifiers against Jamaica next month.

· Eight players on the roster appeared in the last meeting between the teams, a 1-1 draw on Aug. 10, 2011, in Philadelphia (starters in bold): Beckerman, Castillo, Donovan, Tim Howard, Jermaine Jones, Orozco Fiscal, Shea and Torres.

· Four players will arrive Monday after competing in matches on Sunday: Terrence Boyd, Donovan, S. Johnson and Jones.

After two matches, the U.S. leads Group A in the Semifinal Round of CONCACAF Qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The U.S. resumes qualifying action with back-to-back matches against Jamaica on Sept. 7 and 11. Jamaica hosts the Sept. 7 match in Kingston, and then four days later the U.S. will welcome the Caribbean nation to Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. That match will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. on ESPN2, ESPN3 and the Univision family. Fans can follow the match live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and via Twitter @ussoccer.